By Adam Kveton, Ottawa Community News, January 15, 2017
A video showing a cyclist using his bike as a shield while a car pushes down Bronson Ave. has resulted in no charges.
The video, posted Sunday by CFRA, shows a cyclist in a blue jacket off his bike and stopped in the intersection at Bronson Ave. and Slater St. A grey car is seen pushing him along, the bike between the cyclist and the car’s bumper throughout the 39-second long video.
By Elise Schulzke, Ottawa Citizen, January 15, 2017
First the bad news: The Rideau Canal Skateway’s opening day ice reviews were not terrific.
“There’s cracks everywhere, I almost fell the whole time,” said Karen Lemaire, gesturing to a skater behind her who had hit a bump and was flailing her arms attempting to stay upright.
Now the almost universal good news: People were ecstatic that the skating season had begun on the iconic outdoor rink Saturday, with the addition of the downtown section on Sunday morning.
By Jessica Cunha, Ottawa Community News, January 13, 2017
Some residents in the Briarbrook and Morgan’s Grant area aren’t pleased with the changes to OC Transpo’s bus service.
With the opening of the Innovation Station park-and-ride, the elimination of routes 60 and 93 and the addition of routes 63 and 64, many bus riders say their commute times have increased.
“It’s very frustrating that we’re adding time to our day. Our day is long enough as it is,” said Jen Clark, who lives in Briarbrook and commutes downtown to her workplace during the week.
By Michelle Nash Baker, Ottawa Community News, January 13, 2017
Snow, ice and multiple new and old painted lines along Beechwood Avenue have made driving along the street confusing this winter,.
The street was recently repainted to make room for cyclists as part of the East-West Bikeway plan in September.
The redo involved taking the four-lane street and reducing it to two traffic lanes with two bike lanes running east and west between Charlevoix Street and Springfield Road and Putman and Marier avenues.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, January 13, 2017
The councillor for Elgin Street believes there’s a case for burying the hydro lines in the reconstruction of the commercial strip.“We have been so focused on the redesign,” Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said Friday. “Now that we have a recommended design, I think we need to go back to the table and talk to businesses and talk to staff and figure out how to do this.”
A pedestrian’s dream scenario for Elgin Street might be the elimination of hydro poles on the sidewalk, but there’s a good chance it will become another redeveloped road that still runs electrical wires overhead.
By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, January 13, 2017
The panel of urban design experts charged with reviewing development proposals for Ottawa expressed unanimous concern Thursday over a 55-storey condominium tower Claridge Homes hopes to build on the eastern portion of LeBreton Flats.
On Monday hundreds of residents attended an open house to see Claridge's revised vision for its part of LeBreton Flats, just east of Booth Street — an area the developer is calling "The East Flats.
"The preliminary plans call for at least four buildings ranging in height from 25 to 55 storeys, retail amenities including a grocery store, and a park system that focuses on the area's largely hidden historical aqueduct and bridge.
The five members present at the urban design review panel meeting Thursday were all impressed with plans to uncover the aqueduct, and urged the development team to play up that aspect of the project.
By Chloe Fedio, CBC News Ottawa, January 13, 2017
The O'Connor Street bike lane has become a de facto wintertime sidewalk for many commuters in downtown Ottawa as piles of snow, thick layers of ice and slushy puddles obstruct their traditional walkway.
Bryce Dymond said the O'Connor Street bike lane has been "the path of least resistance" through the slush and snow for the past week or so, especially when he is pushing his young daughter along in a stroller.
"It's easier than walking on the sidewalk," he said, adding that he'd like to see the City of Ottawa spend more funds clearing paths for pedestrians. "The sidewalks are pretty atrocious."
By Tom Scott, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, January 14, 2017
Beet juice not good for butterflies and bees
It is too bad that the Citizen posted an article on beet extract under a science label, because there is no science there at all. The precautionary principle denotes a duty of care for the environment and for public health to prevent harm even when all the evidence is not available. It does not say take a chance and see what happens.
Beet extract from Iowa is treated as an industrial product at the border, not a food product. It is not subject to the same controls and testing as would be, say, a tanker-load of a potentially toxic plastics stabilizer being sent to a Canadian manufacturer.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, January 13, 2017
A New York City garbage truck outfitted with a plow blade will rumble down Ottawa streets as a test of its snow-clearing capabilities during a Canadian winter.
The city last year indicated it would try creative ways for moving snow off the roads, including a pilot project using a garbage truck.Coun. Keith Egli, chair of council’s transportation committee, said the truck should arrive in Ottawa within weeks after the city finalizes the arrangement with New York. There will be a short training period with staff.
By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen, January 14, 2017
A 4.4-kilometre portion of the Rideau Canal Skateway opened at 8 a.m. Saturday, kicking off the 47th season of the world’s largest skating rink.
The early reviews indicated ice conditions were mostly good on the stretch between the Laurier Avenue Bridge and Bronson Avenue Bridge.
Other sections will follow as soon as ice conditions are safe and weather permits, according to the National Capital Commission.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, January 12, 2017
Make sure to make Elgin Street a “people place” in a redesign of the commercial strip.
That’s what the city’s urban design review panel told city transportation planners during an examination of the draft plan Thursday.
By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, January 12, 2017
Extra-wide sidewalks that could accommodate more patios, benches and landscaping is the key to making a redesigned Elgin Street more pedestrian-friendly. But that shift comes at a cost — on-street parking could be reduced by half.
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said the plans for Elgin are a 'shift' from the street's current car-centric design. The plan for Elgin was unveiled Wednesday evening. It's among the city's first truly "complete street" plans that follow a council-approved policy considering the safety and experience of all roadway users equally.